VA: Dunkin' Donuts Freestanding???

VA: Dunkin' Donuts Freestanding???

Hello all,

I'm spending this week in Harrisonburg VA, PA and also MD. I need my Dunkin' fix as they're no longer in CA (for over a decade!). I've driven around to 5 different locations tonight and they were all in gas station / convenience stores! I want a stand-alone store. The selection is always fresher and more varied, but I can't find one. I've asked people in the gas station locations and everytime they suggest a location...it's another gas station!!! I've gone on their site, but they don't specify what's what! Can anyone help me find one in the aforementioned areas? I'm really anxious to try their new French Toast twisted bagel!

Todd, what you are probably looking for is an old franchise location that still makes donuts from Dunkin's mixes on-site. These days, Dunkin also has central bakeries which serve scores of stores from a central location. They also have bake-off shops, which start with frozen dough. They bake the dough, then finish them by injecting jam, putting on sprinkles, etc.

Hopefully some regulars here will know which Dunkin shops still bake from scratch in the areas you will be in. I don't even know which local shops around here still bake in the back. I have not checked recently on surburban shops which I know baked from scratch back in the day. A lot closed down. A stand-alone is no longer a guarantee they baked from scratch, but they probably have a larger selection.

If the online store locator shows a BR, for Baskins Robbins ice cream, this is probably a larger location than a convenience store or gas station.

Another thing to know is that new franchisees have to open 5 stores. So, if there are 5 stores in a town, they will all be the same!

I don't know about your area, but here in the DFW area they have recently opened new locations ( all stand alones) but they have wacky hours,like closing at 7:00PM??? and get this....no original Dunkin' Doughnuts! Of course, I mean the cake ones with the nubbin or handle, that made them a true Dunkin' Doughnut. In fact, when I have asked about that particular doughnut the people behind the counter look like I am asking for an antique- truth is they have never heard of it!

mland520 I don't know about your area, but here in the DFW area they have recently opened new locations ( all stand alones) but they have wacky hours,like closing at 7:00PM??? and get this....no original Dunkin' Doughnuts! Of course, I mean the cake ones with the nubbin or handle, that made them a true Dunkin' Doughnut. In fact, when I have asked about that particular doughnut the people behind the counter look like I am asking for an antique- truth is they have never heard of it!

I walked into a stand alone shop in Brooklyn (they list about 105 locations in Brooklyn) yesterday afternoon about 3 PM and found spaces for only about 12 types of donuts. Of that, they only had six varieties left for sale. They had none of the varieties I used to buy in the suburbs, such as Boston Kreme. I didn't take note of the number of spaces for Fancies, Munchkins, and Sticks.

They had a huge amount of different items for sale. Bagels, muffins, sandwiches, iced coffee drinks, croissants. I got a look into the back of the shop, and it did not look like they baked the donuts on site. I opted for a jelly filled donut. It was not fresh at all, but this was 3 PM, after all. It was the first time I noticed that there was such a small number of varieties of donuts offered for sale. There weren't any more varieties than at those hole-in-the wall locations in Manhattan that are so small you have to step outside to change your mind. They only offer about a dozen varieties, too.

David_NYC They had a huge amount of different items for sale. Bagels, muffins, sandwiches, iced coffee drinks, croissants. I got a look into the back of the shop, and it did not look like they baked the donuts on site. I opted for a jelly filled donut. It was not fresh at all, but this was 3 PM, after all. It was the first time I noticed that there was such a small number of varieties of donuts offered for sale. There weren't any more varieties than at those hole-in-the wall locations in Manhattan that are so small you have to step outside to change your mind. They only offer about a dozen varieties, too.

I found the same thing at my local Dunkin', so it's not limited to just one section of the country. My local doesn't make a raspberry jelly anymore, which was my favorite.

The original "Dunkin" donut is evidently no longer made. I am in Massachusetts where we are literally blanketed with DD's. The Dunkin donut with the handle disappeared a few years ago.

Around here there are a variety of store sizes ranging from tiny/in a gas station to freestanding stores that are the size of a McDonald's (in fact in my town there is a DD's that occupies a former Wendy's. It's about 1/2 mile from another large freestanding DD's).

Even the larger stores here have a surprisingly small assortment of donuts and other baked goods - even the total display areas are often very small. I am certain that NONE of the DD's in this area do any baking on premises.

I was in surburbia today (Westchester County, NY and Fairfield County, CT.) I went into two DD's that I remember being there for many years. Both still had a large selection of donuts - approx 18 to 20 varieties, plus munchkins, muffins, etc. The DD in a shopping mall had only about 10 varieties, and the DD inside a Stop and Shop supermarket was the worst, with only about 8 varieties. They have more varieties in Stop and Shop Faux Supermarket bakeries without a Dunkin Donuts franchise.

To XanaJew: Call the local DD's where you are traveling, and ask them how many varieties they have.

I was in surburbia today (Westchester County, NY and Fairfield County, CT.) I went into two DD's that I remember being there for many years. Both still had a large selection of donuts - approx 18 to 20 varieties, plus munchkins, muffins, etc. The DD in a shopping mall had only about 10 varieties, and the DD inside a Stop and Shop supermarket was the worst, with only about 8 varieties. They have more varieties in Stop and Shop Faux Supermarket bakeries without a Dunkin Donuts franchise.

To XanaJew: Call the local DD's where you are traveling, and ask them how many varieties they have.

Hello All, Wish I had been to roadfood.com a couple of days ago, XanaJew. In the Harrisonburg, Va. area we have no donut only stores anymore, but there are a few places where Mennonites make homemade donuts that are out of this world. Sorry I missed you. Take Care, Fileldthistle

Here in my area of Florida we have DD's approximately every 400 ft . There are variations in the size as some are in gas stations and some are free standing. The one thing they seem to have in common is that the donuts are awful. They are usually stale tasting even if purchased early in the day. The funny thing is a lot of the other items including the coffee drinks are pretty good.